non free file (/include/linux/mroute.h)

[Alexandre Oliva]

On Jun  5, 2009, crap0101 <marco.chieppa-crap at poste.it> wrote:

> Hi, looking in the linux tree i've found this file
> `/include/linux/mroute.h`
> I think it's not free software because its licence and it should be
> removed from the kernel.

If there isn't a license there, it should be taken as under GPLv2.

If this header is a derivative of the mroute code, under copyright law,
then there might be a need to apply the terms of the mrouted license to
it, which would indeed make it non-Free Software AFAICT.

There are other ways by which mroute.h could have been created, however,
that wouldn't set this requirement.  Do you have any evidence that it
was created in a way that would make it a derivative work under
copyright law, rather than under any of the copyright exeptions
(e.g. interface only) or clean-room procedures to ensure it isn't?

It would be desirable to check the signed-off-by trail of this file and
check how it was created and contributed before declaring it non-Free.
Would you be willing to do that?

Thanks in advance,

-- 
Alexandre Oliva, freedom fighter    http://FSFLA.org/~lxoliva/
You must be the change you wish to see in the world. -- Gandhi
Be Free! -- http://FSFLA.org/   FSF Latin America board member
Free Software Evangelist      Red Hat Brazil Compiler Engineer